1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a catching tool for baseball or softball, more specifically, a catching tool for baseball or softball wherein a resin layer is formed on a surface of a ball receiving portion for covering the palm side of a person who is to have the tool on.
2. Description of the Background Art
Hitherto, known has been a catching tool wherein a coating film made of synthetic resin is formed on the entire surface of a ball catching surface in order to restrain a ball from dropping down when the ball is caught. Such a catching tool is described in, for example, Japanese Patent Laying-Open Nos. 58-221901 and 61-143081.
Moreover, Utility Model Laying-Open No. 63-186474 describes a glove for baseball wherein an anti-slipping body made of an elastomer is arranged in a ball catching surface to catch a hit ball or the like certainly, and Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2006-239402 describes a catching tool wherein a surface of a ball receiving leather is provided with a projected region made of a material different from that of the ball receiving leather in order to prevent the catching miss of a ball.
In the catching tools described in the Japanese Patent Laying-Open Nos. 58-221901 and 61-143081, a coating film made of synthetic resin is formed on the entire surface of their ball catching surface; therefore, the wholes of the catching tools become hard. As a result, when catching a ball, it is difficult that the ball is well grasped. About the catching tools described in these documents, it is difficult that when a ball is caught, the coating film made of synthetic resin is deformed along the ball. For this reason, the Japanese Patent Laying-Open Nos. 58-221901 and 61-143081 never describe the technical idea that “a resin layer formed selectively on the front surface of a ball receiving portion of a catching tool is transformed along a ball, whereby at the time of catching the ball, the slipping of the ball inside the tool is restrained”.
In the meantime, the anti-slipping body described in the Utility Model Laying-Open No. 63-186474 is set in small holes in the catching surface. Thus, when a ball is caught, the contact area between the ball and the anti-slipping body becomes small. Similarly, therefore, there is caused a problem that the ball cannot be effectively restrained from slipping when the ball is caught. About the anti-slipping body described in the document also, it can be mentioned that in light of the shape thereof and others, the body is not easily deformed along a ball when the ball is caught. Accordingly, the Utility Model Laying-Open No. 63-186474 never describes the technical idea that “a resin layer formed selectively on the front surface of a ball receiving portion of a catching tool is deformed along a ball, whereby at the time of catching the ball, the slipping of the ball inside the tool is restrained”, either.
About the catching tool described in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2006-239402, the contact area itself between its projected region and a ball is relatively small. Therefore, if a person who has the catching tool on can close the tool at a speed planned when the tool is designed, the catching miss of a ball can be avoided and further the slipping of the ball can also be restrained when the ball is caught. However, the tool-opening/closing-speeds attained by persons who may have the tool on are naturally varied; thus, when the opening/closing speed attained by some person is smaller than the value planned in the design of the tool, there is also caused a problem that when a ball is caught, the slipping of the ball inside the catching tool cannot be effectively restrained. The above-mentioned projected region is formed in order to shorten the period when the catching tool is closed, thereby preventing the catching miss of a ball. Thus, the projected region is not any region that is deformed along a ball so as to restrain the slipping of the ball when the ball is caught. Accordingly, this document does not describe the technical idea that “a resin layer formed selectively on the front surface of a ball receiving portion of a catching tool is deformed along a ball, whereby at the time of catching the ball, the slipping of the ball inside the tool is restrained”, either.